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Mainline trains speed south to Lugano and Milan, while a branch line heads west to Lake Maggiore and its principal Swiss resort,
LOCARNO
, overrun with the rich and wannabe-famous on summer weekends yet still managing to retain its Mediterranean, shades-and-
gelati
cool. The focus of town is
Piazza Grande
; a busy arcaded square just off the palm-fringed lakefront. Most interest lies in the narrow streets of the characterful Old Town, ranged on gently rising ground behind Piazza Grande; wandering through the alleys with an ice cream is the best way to blend in with local life. From the west end of the piazza, lanes run up to Via Cittadella and the richly Baroque
Chiesa Nuova
, with a sumptuously stuccoed ceiling. Via Borghese, one street further up, brings you to the huge and rather sombre church of
Sant'Antonio
, next to which is the
Casa Rusca
gallery (Tues-Sun 10am-noon & 2-5pm; Sfr5) focusing on twentieth-century Swiss artist Jean Arp. Alleys lead south downhill to the tall fourteenth-century church of
San Francesco
, with faded Baroque frescoes, and further down to the thirteenth-century
Castello Visconteo
, housing an archeological museum (April-Oct Tues-Sun 10am-noon & 2-5pm; Sfr5), especially strong on beautiful Roman glass. Most striking of all, though, is the church of
Madonna del Sasso
(daily 6.30am-7pm), an impressive ochre vision floating above the town founded in 1480. The walk up (or down) through a wooded ravine and past decaying shrines, is glorious; or take the funicular from just west of the station to Ticino's greatest photo-opportunity, looking down on the church and lake. From the top, a cable car runs further up to
Cardada
on the ridge (
www.cardada.ch
), where there are more walking routes and a chairlift whisking you up to the spectacular views at Cimetta. East of Locarno is
Valle Verzasca
, where deathwish freaks can re-enact the opening scene of the James Bond film
Goldeneye
, by bungeeing a world-record 220m off the
Verzasca Dam
(Sfr260; book on tel 01/950 33 88,
www.trekking.ch
; closed Nov-March).
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